About Us
Join ONA’s Members’ Assembly
ONA wants to ensure grassroots members are at the centre of our next strategic plan. The Members' Assembly will bring together 30 randomly selected ONA members to help shape our strategic direction for the next five years.
With ongoing attacks on labour and constant workplace challenges, we need a plan that reflects what members actually face.
This isn't about rubber-stamping decisions already made. The Assembly will learn about ONA's current state, examine what's working and what isn't and develop real considerations for our leadership. No union experience or knowledge are required – just your perspective as a grassroots member.
Assembly members will meet in the Toronto area to:
If so, here are three quick and easy ways you can sign up as a volunteer for the Members’ Assembly:
Registration Deadline: October 31, 2025
Registration is limited to the 10,000 members who were randomly selected to receive an invitation email.
Registration is now closed. Thanks to everyone for expressing interest.
After October 31, 2025, 30 members will be randomly selected from those who registered.
You will receive an email on November 5, 2025, to inform you if you are selected and we’ll set up a phone call to share more details and answer any questions you may have.
Assembly members will attend the following sessions:
A Members’ Assembly is a group of randomly selected grassroots union members tasked with closely examining strategic issues and making consensus recommendations to union leadership that reflect the concerns and priorities of the membership. Members’ Assemblies are well-suited to examine complex organizational questions because they provide grassroots members with the opportunity to learn, discuss and find consensus between people with different perspectives, experiences and backgrounds across the union. Members’ assemblies, or citizens’ or residents’ assemblies, are often used by public organizations to include representative members of the public in the development of policies, plans or making very hard decisions. The goal is to ensure that regular, grassroots members, have a seat at the planning table.
ONA is forming a Members’ Assembly so that grassroots ONA members who represent the diversity of our union (ages, ethnicities, designations, locations, etc.) have a hand in shaping our next strategic plan. As we build on the success of our current strategic plan and look toward the future challenges and opportunities facing our members in Ontario, we want to ensure that grassroots voices are at the centre of our planning process. This Assembly will work alongside ONA’s leadership to ensure our next strategic plan reflects both member priorities and organizational expertise.
The Assembly will be composed of 30 grassroots ONA members who will be randomly selected by a special lottery process from those who respond to this invitation. The Assembly will be selected to broadly represent the diversity of ONA membership by region, sector, age and other considerations. Six members will be selected from each of ONA’s five regions.
Absolutely. We do not expect you to be an expert on strategic planning or technical knowledge about ONA. You will learn everything you need to know to make an informed contribution during the Assembly sessions. ONA staff and external experts will always be on hand to answer your questions. Your perspective and experience as a grassroots ONA member, as well as your willingness to consider new information and different perspectives, are what matter most.
As a member of the Assembly, you will:
Assembly members must be ONA members in good standing who hold entitlements. A member holds entitlements if they have signed an Application for Membership Form and paid dues in the previous 12 months, or have been on an approved leave of absence.
Whether or not you agree with all of ONA’s current strategic priorities, your participation is welcome. We will make sure the Assembly represents the diversity of our membership, with people of different ages, health-care sectors, years of experience and backgrounds from all across Ontario.
Lastly, eligible ONA members must have received this invitation via email.
You are one of 10,000 randomly selected ONA members who received an invitation via email. This random selection process ensures that the opportunity to participate in this important democratic project is distributed fairly.
In order to reduce the opportunity of a conflict of interest, current ONA Board members, staff and their immediate family members are ineligible to participate.
If you are unsure if your role disqualifies you, or if you feel that your union experience creates a conflict with the Assembly’s aim to recruit members without in-depth union experience, please call us at 1-844-532-7136 or email assembly@ona.org.
Read the formal invitation to the sign-up to the Members' Assembly from ONA President Erin Ariss, RN, and ONA CEO Andrea Kay, RN.
There will be one online orientation session and a four-day series of in-person meetings in Toronto at an accessible location.
Yes. ONA will work with Assembly members to ensure they are fairly compensated for any scheduled work (not including overtime or the opportunity thereof) missed due to Assembly participation — you will be made whole. We will also work with you to secure the necessary time away from your workplace.
All travel, accommodation and meals will be fully covered by ONA. The Assembly team will work with each member on an individual basis to address any other barriers to participation, including arranging and covering childcare or eldercare support.
If there are other barriers that you feel may prevent you from volunteering for the Assembly, please call us at 1-844-532-7136 or email us at assembly@ona.org and we will review and address them.
The Assembly team needs time to ensure proper processes are followed to ensure that selected assembly members: have arranged to away from work to participate; are compensated for time away from work; and are supported and confident while fulfilling their responsibilities on the Assembly.
ONA will ensure you are able to take time away from work to serve on the Assembly. But if you have other commitments — the answer is no. All selected Assembly members must be available for all in-person Assembly sessions to qualify for participation. The Assembly process depends on all members learning and working together throughout all sessions.
Please consider and confirm your full ability to participate before applying. If you have questions about the schedule — please call us, 1-844-532-7136.
It is important to ensure that the Assembly represents different types of grassroots ONA members. The information you provide when volunteering will be used only for selecting Assembly members, will only be seen by core project staff, and will be destroyed following completion of the Assembly’s work. We will never share this information with anyone else — either at the Bargaining Unit, Local, or provincial level.
The Assembly’s presentations and activities will only be conducted in English.
Yes. You can contribute to ONA’s strategic planning process by staying engaged with our union’s work and participating in other member engagement opportunities that may be available during the strategic planning process.
You can also participate in the member survey. The survey opens on November 4, 2025, and closes on January 9, 2026.
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